July 2021 – Page 2 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

ST 3117

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3117

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 18 Jul 2021

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Greetings from Kolkata. I have the pleasure of writing another full review of a Sunday puzzle for your kind perusal and valuable feedback. Dada has given us this time a fairly easy puzzle with some excellent clues. Continue reading “ST 3117”

Toughie 2685

Toughie No 2685 by Chalicea

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment ***

Chalicea sets a Tuesday Floughie. This is a perfect entry into Toughieland for those who are hesitating to dip a toe into the water. The only type of clue that back-page solvers might not have previously encountered is the compound anagram at 14 Down. Continue reading “Toughie 2685”

DT 29738

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29738

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty *** Enjoyment ***

Hello, everyone. I expect that today some solvers will, like me, be either dusting off or learning vocabulary used nowadays only in crosswordland. No complaints about that when the wordplay leads cleanly to the answer. Continue reading "DT 29738"

DT 29737

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29737

Hints and tips by pommers

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ****

Hola from the Vega Baja where the weather has been uncomfortably hot for about the last two weeks. I’m writing this blog in the middle of the night while it’s a bit cooler and I can watch Adam Peaty in the Olympic swimming. … Continue reading

EV 1497 (Hints)

Enigmatic Variations 1497 (Hints)

The Asian One by Chalicea

Hints and tips by The Numpties

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Chalicea is one of the most prolific of crossword compilers appearing regularly in the Magpie, the Listener, the Inquisitor series, and the EV as well as in Crossword magazine and the 3D Calendar series where she sets as Curmudgeon. She also sets ordinary cryptics for the Telegraph Toughie series and back-page crosswords and has been setting the weekly cryptic crosswords for the Farmers Guardian for years. Her puzzles are popular because they usually contain lots of thematic material and are not too difficult. Continue reading “EV 1497 (Hints)”

ST 3118 (Hints)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3118 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where we have had some, but not enough, welcome rain.  We have also had three or four days of Air Quality Alerts caused by drifting smoke from more than 130 wild fires in Manitoba and more in NW Ontario. … Continue reading

DT 29736 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29736 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club

Hosted by Tilsit

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Greetings from the tropics of Warrington! Thanks to Senf for covering last Saturday when I was asked to work at short notice. Continue reading “DT 29736 (Hints)”

Toughie 2684

Toughie No 2684 by Sparks

Hints and tips by Dutch

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BD Rating – Difficulty *****Enjoyment *****

Ah, only just spotted the Nina. The central row is the pen name of the gentleman in the outer columns. I found this slow progress with quite a few things that I needed to look up, but a lot of fun along the way.… Continue reading